(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an oil coater for mats. More particularly, the invention relates to an oil coater for a duster mat to be used at the entrance or the like to remove dusts adhering to shoe soles and prevent them from being brought into the interior of a room, which can coat an oiling composition to the pile surface of the duster mat uniformly in a controlled small amount.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
As such duster mats, there have been broadly used products prepared by tufting or electrostatically planting fiber bundles or piles to a fibrous base fabric or plastic net, supporting the back side with a latex of a synthetic resin, a rubber or the like to form a backing layer and impregnating the fiber bundles or piles with an oiling composition. The amount of the oiling composition to be applied to fiber piles should be such that the oiling composition does not substantially migrate to articles such as shoes but dusts adhering to shoes can be effectively attracted to the pile surface and retained therein. Accordingly, it is important that the oiling composition should be coated to the pile surface uniformly in a controlled small amount.
There are known various methods for coating a dust-adsorbing oiling composition to fibers. A most popular method is one comprising dipping fibers in an aqueous emulsion of a self-emulsifiable and self-exhausting oiling composition to make the oiling composition adsorbed in the fibers. According to this method, the oiling composition is applied also to the backing layer of the mat to damage it. Further, post treatments such as dehydration and drying are complicated. Accordingly, this method is still insufficient from the viewpoints of the process steps and the quality of the product.
As another means for coating an oiling composition to the fiber pile surface, there can be considered a spray coating method and a roller coating method. However, the former method involves problems of environmental pollution by mists of the oiling composition, and cares should be taken for the operation safety. According to the latter method, although satisfactory results can be obtained when the oiling composition is applied to a smooth and even surface, it is difficult to coat the oiling composition uniformly in a controlled small amount to a surface having various irregular convexities and concavities, such as of fiber piles of a mat.